17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
The temporary nature of this world is so often ignored. So much investment of energy goes into making life in this world comfortable that you would think for some, this is all there is. But this is just the first stage of life. We began at conception and we will live forever, somewhere. And the somewhere is determined by our choice to follow Jesus or not follow Jesus. It is that simple. Those who follow Jesus get to enjoy the benefits of connection with God throughout eternity. For the Jesus-follower, those benefits of intimacy that we begin to experience in a limited fashion here and now, those benefits come to full scale expression after we die. That is because in this stage of life there is the hindrance of sin. That is what is encapsulated in the word ‘world’ used in this verse. Everything that stands opposed to God’s presence and rule is part of this ‘world’. And all that will come to an end. Someday there will be no rebellion and no consequences of the first rebellion to ruin our lives. Nothing with hinder God’s designed purposes for our lives. It will be as it was for the first to humans, Adam and Eve. They will live lives of intimacy with God and lives of carefree existence. God walked with them and nothing stood between them and God. They had no sin, so there was no guilt or shame. They could experience God as fully as we were designed to experience Him. Also, there was nothing between Adam and Eve. They were free to be themselves, no false pretenses, no cover-ups, no empty words. They could enjoy each other fully. They didn’t have to struggle for the everyday necessities of life; they were all provided freely and conveniently in the garden itself. What a life that will be! Can you imagine a life where there are no struggles, no need, only fulfillment? That is exactly what awaits all Jesus-followers. But don’t forget, we get to begin to experience that life that awaits us right now. The quality of our life changes when we begin to follow after the Lord. We get a down payment, a portion large enough to demonstrate the trustworthiness of the Giver. The Holy Spirit comes and begins the restoration process in our lives. He walks with us and lives with us daily. We can experience the intimacy of the Garden. Are you aware of the Spirit’s work in your life? If not, you are missing out on true life.
The Arnold Journey 